Bad times bring out volunteers

Charities note spirit of giving strong

DALLAS (AP)  When bad things happen, Deborah Greer says, her first reaction is to get out and do something. But after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast, she was virtually paralyzed.

"I felt at a loss," said Greer, a Corpus Christi lawyer. "I didn't know what I could do."

Greer ended up giving blood, like thousands of others. Shortly after, she decided to volunteer at the local American Red Cross in Corpus Christi, where she has helped with damage assessment for flooding in South Texas.

Texas charity officials say there's a renewed sense of volunteerism since the terrorist attacks. They say the overwhelming need to help others has only heightened with the holiday season and the economic recession.

Drawing on that spirit of giving, the North Texas Home Front Coalition recently launched a public awareness campaign, reminding people who may have given to New York relief funds that local charities still need money and volunteers.

The newly formed group of 1,700 charities ran TV commercials in November and plans to launch a radio and print ad campaign, said Patrick Patey, a spokesman for the Salvation Army of Greater Dallas and the coalition.

"For the year-end giving mindset people are in right now, we really want to capitalize on getting the word out to dig a little deeper because of increased needs," he said.

The economic downturn has put many charities in a financial bind. Cash donations are down, making it difficult for some to keep paid staff and run programs to meet increased needs.

As a result, agencies are welcoming volunteers with open arms.

The Salvation Army in Odessa had twice as many volunteers this year to help prepare and serve Thanksgiving dinner for the needy.

"It was not just men and women, but families," spokesman Robert Winters said. "People were saying they were thankful for what they had, and they just wanted to help others.

"It was a new emphasis on being thankful," he said.

The South Plains Food Bank in Lubbock distributes 7 million pounds of food each year to 265 agencies in 25 counties. The agency uses about 230,000 hours of volunteer time each year  the equivalent of 110 full-time employees. Many are helping this year for the first time.

"We couldn't do what we do without volunteers," said Karen King, the food bank's executive director.

Glenda May, executive director of the Allen Community Outreach near Dallas, says she's also noticed a new kind of volunteer  people who have been laid off.

"They say they have the time and won't find a job in December and would like to volunteer," May said.

She said people who once relied on the agency for help also are volunteering for the first time.

Tonya Crow of Allen is one of them. For three years, the divorced mother received food and utility assistance from the agency until she could get back on her feet.

Crow, who now has a full-time job, helped the agency distribute Thanksgiving baskets and is working with the Christmas gift-giving program this year.

"I can understand. I've been there," Crow said. "Just knowing I was there to help those who are where I've been was rewarding. It's still scary. You never know what's going to happen from one day to the next."

At Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Dallas, the number of volunteers in October and November was up 14 percent and 19 percent, respectively, over the same months last year.

"In today's society, where we're communicating electronically, we're losing human connection," she said. "I believe we're going to see people searching for human contact, and that's where volunteers are going to play a role. We've seen that in 2001."